As the owner of the Hi-Way, and the Bar-Ann Drive-In, Portage, after the previous owner decided to retire, Gawel, along with his family and employees, spends summer nights showing off the magic of movie watching under the open skies.

Gawel — who loved going to drive-in movie theaters as a child and has fond memories of seeing “Hells Angels on Wheels” — can attest to the adventure of gathering up friends and family and heading out to the giant screen under the stars.

He remembers watching everything from an Elvis Presley film to Godzilla and horror movies.

In his youth, Gawel’s neighbor ran the Embassy Theatre, which was along Main Street in Johnstown.

Northern Cambria resident John Knapik buys popcorn with his son, John, at the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In movie theater as employee Sophia Sunseri cashes them out at the register. The family was there on June 20 to watch “Elio” and “Lilo & Stich.” Mirror photo by Matt Churella

There, Gawel worked as an usher and later as an assistant manager, learning the behind-the-scenes aspects of the theater business, like booking movies from film companies.

He then became the manager of the Bantam Four Cinemas in Richland Township, a role he held until 1984, when a Pittsburgh-based film company approached him about taking ownership of the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In, which opened in 1951.

“They owned this place and it was too far for them,” Gawel said. “I didn’t even know where Carrolltown was back then to be truthful.”

Gawel ventured up to the area, fell in love with the community and, as the saying goes, the rest is history.

A decade later, in 1994, Gawel added the Bar-Ann Drive-In. At one time, he also owned, for about 15 years, The Silver Drive-In along Scalp Avenue in Richland Township.

Patton residents Connie and Chris Zupon watch a movie June 20 at the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In theater in West Carroll Township with their son, Christopher Zupon, 8. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

While Gawel sold the Silver, he kept the Bar-Ann and of course, the Hi-Way.

Today, the Bar-Ann is managed by his stepson, Dustin Grush, as Gawel typically works in the production booth of the Hi-Way and his wife, Judie, works the ticket booth at the drive-in’s entrance.

They hire about a dozen employees at each location every year to work the concession stand. Those employees range from high school teenagers in need of summer work to people like Angela Krook, a four-year employee who has a full-time job and works at the theater simply because she enjoys it.

“I come here because I like the people. The owners are good people and they have been here forever,” Krook said, adding she remembers visiting the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In with her family to watch “Free Willy” in 1993.

“I remember coming here with my aunt. We all packed up the car — me, my sisters and my mom. It was a whole big family thing,” Krook said, adding they each got to pick out one item from the concession stand.

Bar-Ann Drive-In employee Calla Miko gives popcorn to Altoona residents Ky’Manni Brown (left) and K-Ylianni Brown (center) as their father, Priest Brown, looks on at the drive-in theater in Portage. The Browns have visited a drive-in theater three times so far this summer, Priest Brown said. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

“I remember it was packed,” she said.

Next year, Gawel said he’s hopeful the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In will be packed as they celebrate its 75th anniversary in operation.

“There’s not too many drive-ins left that can say that,” he said, noting it’s one of about 300 drive-in theaters remaining in the country.

In the 1950s, drive-in theaters “were a big thing” because they offered more flexibility than indoor theaters for children to play and were an affordable date night option for adults, Gawel said, noting there used to be more than 4,000 drive-in theaters in the U.S.

According to Gawel, movie studios at the time limited drive-in theaters to show only sub-run movies — films that had already finished their initial run at indoor theaters. Eventually, the movie studios agreed to allow drive-in theaters to show first-run movies, he said.

The Crownover family of Altoona watches “How to Train Your Dragon” June 20 at the Bar-Ann Drive-In in Portage. From left: David Crownover Jr., Stephanie Plummer, Brynleigh Crownover, Paislee Crownover, Ryker Crownover and Jackson Crownover. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

The ability to show first-run or new movies built up the business, Gawel said.

In the 41 years that he has owned the theater in West Carroll Township, he said he’s seen plenty of sell-outs, with police conducting traffic control to keep the line of cars — sometimes all the way into Carrolltown Borough — moving.

In that time, “I met people where their dads would bring them up here and now they’re bringing their kids up here,” Gawel said, adding the success of his business is dependent on good movies and good weather.

Despite the declining number of drive-in theaters throughout the country, it’s not “a totally dying business” and “it has its ups and downs,” Gawel said.

Gawel said the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 “really hurt” his business because studios weren’t producing new movies and they later concentrated on streaming platforms to make their money, keeping people home to watch movies even after restrictions were lifted.

City resident Hopper Yarwood, 4, (right) plays soccer with his family June 20 at the Bar-Ann Drive-In movie theater in Portage. Yarwood is obsessed with "How to Train Your Dragon" and was eager to watch the film at the drive-in, Mallory Yarwood, his mother, said. Also pictured (from left) are Luke Tromm, 4, and Keaton Tromm, 8. Mirror photo by Matt Churella

Gawel said drive-in theaters were allowed to open up at the time, but could only play retro movies. Since social distancing is built into the business model of drive-in theaters, business at the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In was “fair,” he said.

Silver Lining a new venture

Because there were so many gathering restrictions during the pandemic, members of the Bedford County Chamber of Commerce decided to build the Silver Lining Drive-In theater to give people something to do that summer, said Kellie Goodman Shaffer, the chamber’s president and chief executive officer.

Goodman Shaffer said the chamber first approached Clark Contractors with the idea of building a screen to show movies.

By the next day, they had already engaged with an engineer and decided that they were going to move forward with the project, she said, adding other businesses, like Bedford Rural Electric, donated a list of materials — including $25,000 power poles — to start the project.

The Silver Lining Drive-In is believed to be the first fiberglass-faced drive-in screen in the country, Goodman Shaffer said.

The story of how it all quickly came together “is so inspiring,” Goodman Shaffer said.

“We went to like 22 different companies and they all said ‘yes’ to the degree that they could,” Goodman Shaffer said.

“We didn’t ask anybody for anything for free,” she said. “But it was exactly 50 days from the day that our board approved looking into the idea to when we cut the ribbon on a 72-foot wide by 55-foot tall movie screen.”

The theater officially opened July 4, 2020, on the Bedford County Fairgrounds property, she said, noting the chamber runs the theater in partnership with the Bedford County Fair.

Businesses still continue to support the theater by sponsoring films, Goodman Shaffer said.

“It’s been very well received” by the community, she said. “We still get really nice crowds.”

Ebensburg on a smaller scale

The Ebensburg Main Street Partnership does something similar with a small screen, a projector and a sound system every year at the Veteran’s Memorial Park, said Danea Koss, the borough’s community development director.

Koss said the Main Street Partnership used to show just one movie in the park each year. But when a business owner stepped up to sponsor more films, it grew into an even bigger event.

“It’s kind of another opportunity to host something in the downtown and bring people out for a free evening of family entertainment,” Koss said of the event.

On June 20, the partnership showed “Wicked” in the park and has plans to show “Minecraft” on July 11 in the park, Koss said, adding “Moana 2” will be shown at the Ebensburg Borough community pool in August.

“It’s worked out for us,” Koss said. “We’re happy to have it and have something for people to do on a Friday night in downtown Ebensburg.”

‘Like camping, but at the movies’

But some effects of the pandemic — particularly with movies becoming available to watch on streaming platforms not long after their release — are still felt in the theater business today, Grush said.

Once a movie is released in theaters, studios are already announcing that it will be available on whatever streaming platform they own within 30 or 45 days, Grush said.

“So, if it’s not a movie that you’re really hyped up to see, a lot of people opt to just wait because it’s going to be on a streaming platform in a couple of weeks,” Grush said. “That’s probably the biggest challenge that we have now.”

Still, attendees at both the Carrolltown and Portage locations have said they enjoy the nostalgia of drive-in theaters — where children can make as much noise as they want and the whole family can have a fun night out.

When Altoona resident Steve Keith grew up, there were multiple drive-in theaters in Altoona alone, he said.

Keith, his parents and his four sisters visited drive-in locations in Greenwood and Logan Township “all of the time,” he said.

He, his wife and their six kids now go to either the Carrolltown or Portage drive-in, depending on what movies are playing at each location, Keith said. They were at the latter on June 20 watching “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Lilo & Stitch.”

Mallory Yarwood, Keith’s daughter, said she enjoys spending time with her family, watching movies outside.

“It’s almost like camping, but at the movies,” Yarwood said.

Priest Brown of Altoona said he and his children have already been to the Portage drive-in twice this summer. They also visited the Carrolltown drive-in earlier this year, he said.

Brown said he enjoys sitting outside on the grass and watching his kids play before the sun sets and the show starts.

“It kills two birds with one stone for us,” Brown said.

Tina Biglin of Hastings said she’s been coming to the Bar-Ann Drive-In for as long as she can remember.

“My mom and dad brought us here and they had the big metal merry-go-round, then over there you had the metal monkey bars and then over there were the swings,” Biglin said. “I love this place.”

Biglin was at the Portage drive-in with Aliyah Biglin, her granddaughter; Warren “Buddy” Miller, their neighbor; and Lloyda Severns of Johnstown, Aliyah’s other grandmother.

Severns said they visited the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In last year to watch “Despicable Me 4” and got their pictures taken with mascots dressed up as the minions.

Miller, 10, said he wants to own a drive-in theater when he grows up.

“When I turn 21, I get my pap’s house and he has like seven acres of land. I want to do a drive-in movie theater there (and charge) maybe one dollar per person or something,” Miller said.

At the Carrolltown Hi-Way Drive-In, where “Elio” and “Lilo & Stitch” were shown June 20, Northern Cambria resident Dinnelle Smith said going to the drive-in is the closest she and her husband, Dave, can get to a date night with their three children — Elliot, 10; Isaac, 6; and Callen Smith, 3.

Dinnelle and Dave sat outside in lawn chairs while their kids watched the movies from the back of their vehicle.

“We fill their bellies up before the movie starts so nobody asks for anything to eat,” Dinnelle Smith said.

Matthew Frew of Patton and his family sat outside in lawn chairs to watch the movies.

Compared to an indoor theater, the drive-in offers a calmer atmosphere, Frew said, adding it allows his sons — Wyatt, 5, and Jackson, 4 — to enjoy themselves and be rowdy.

Patton residents Chris and Connie Zupon watched the movies from the bed of their pickup truck, stretched out with their 8-year-old son, Christopher.

The family had popcorn, Doritos, cookies, soda and water and have been coming to the drive-in theater together for the past three years, Connie said.

“It’s nice to be outside watching movies and he (Christopher) enjoys it quite a bit,” she said.

“They’re only little for a short time, so we’re just trying to enjoy that,” Chris Zupon said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.